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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rest — what's left
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. staff — a stick
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com